Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #8 Mike Clevinger

Mostly an afterthought this time last year, starting pitcher Michael Clevinger comes in at Number 8 on our 2016 Cleveland Indians Top Prospects countdown.

Who is Mike Clevinger?

Clevinger joined the Indians back in August 2014 when he was acquired for reliever Vinnie Pestano from the Los Angeles Angels. The right-handed starter originally joined the Angels back in 2011 when he was a fourth-round pick out of Seminole Community College in Florida. The 25-year-old stands 6’4” and weighs approximately 220 pounds. He spent the entire 2015 regular season pitching at Double-A Akron, but he did make a couple of starts for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in the International League playoffs where he threw 15.1 scoreless innings, helping the Clippers win the Governor’s Cup. He was also added to the Tribe’s 40-man roster back in November.

Strengths and Weaknesses

There’s a ton to like about Clevinger on the mound. His fastball sits 92-95 and can run it up to 96-97. He supplements that with a plus slider but also throws a curveball that can flash plus as well as a usable changeup. His combination of plus stuff helped him strike out 145 hitters in the regular season last year, which led all Tribe minor leaguers in 2015.

More from Away Back Gone

One issue that has plagued Clevinger in the past and limited his upside was lack of control. Prior to 2015, he had walked close to four batters per nine innings. In 2015 though, that number was only 2.3 batters per nine innings (at Akron). However, some of that could have been due to injury as Clevinger had Tommy John Surgery in 2012 after throwing less than 50 professional innings. In fact, prior to 2014 Clevinger had only thrown 50.2 innings since signing out of school.

There was reportedly a noticeable difference in his delivery post-college which effective his control, possibly due to the arm issue. Since joining the Indians though his mechanics look much better and the control has since improved. Coincidence? I mean, anything is possible, but I kind of doubt that. The question will be, can he maintain these improved mechanics and build on that breakout 2015 season? I, like many, believe he can.

I’m very excited about what we saw from him in 2015 and having him at “only” number eight on our list may be a regret soon. I’ve seen some people putting him as high as number three in the system though some don’t have him in the top ten, likely due to fear that 2015 could have been a mirage. Command will be key for him going forward. No doubt about the stuff but many (including yours truly) thought he could be headed to the bullpen last year due to command issues. He’s proved us wrong to this point and hopefully that continues.

Where Does He Go From Here?

One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises by a prospect in the system in 2015, Clevinger will look to do in Triple-A what he did in Double-A in 2015. He got his first taste of big league camp this spring after being added to the roster this past fall. There were even some speculating that he could be a dark-horse candidate for the fifth spot in the big league rotation; however, that was never likely and he was optioned to the Columbus Clippers. He’ll open there as a member of a rather stacked rotation, likely joining T.J. House and Cody Anderson at the front of rotation.

While it was only a couple of starts, it’s hard not to get excited about how much he dominated Triple-A hitters last September when he got some starts in the playoffs for the Clippers. One obviously shouldn’t expect him to be that good every time out, however, he’s put himself in a position to be one of the first starters called up should the need arise in Cleveland. Anderson and House may have the big league experience but Clevinger quite possibly has the highest ceiling of any starter north of A-ball in the Tribe’s system.

Next: Indians Top Prospects: #9 Francisco Mejia

While player comparisons can be misleading and unfair at times, he reminds me a bit of Corey Kluber at this stage. Like Clevinger, Kluber was acquired as a lowly prospect without a lot of hype. Kluber had some control issues but also great stuff that led many to think he could end up in the pen as a lockdown setup guy. However, as we all know, Kluber has been ever so slightly better than that…

I’m not saying Clevinger will become the next Kluber, but I definitely think we’ll be seeing him in Cleveland this year. He’s got front-line potential in the rotation and should hopefully settle into the backend at some point in the next year or two.

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